Stupid, STUPID NHS!

[moss]

I have my midwife appointment tomorrow, so hopefully something will be arranged, but how stupid is this?

In Dundee, all scheduled midwife appointments are on a Wednesday ONLY. I tried to have one another day but ended up having to have my 26 week check at 28 weeks because they refuse to meet on any other day. The midwife starts taking appointments at 13.30. The NHS antenatal classes are... 13.30-16.30 ON A WEDNESDAY! At the moment it looks like I will have to choose between antenatal classes and antenatal health checks. WELL DONE, NHS, WELL DONE.

 

[*Star*]

that's just daft! how do they expect to fit all pregnant women in on a wednesday afternoon?!

 

[moss]

I really have no idea how they do it! Also, we can't negotiate times for our appointments. They give you the next available one when you call, whether it is convenient or not.

 

[*Star*]

that's just odd.

at my ante-natel clinic my appointment is on friday mornings, but there are about 5 consultants with their own teams and each one has their own ante-natel clinics on different days.

i know i live in a city and its the major birthing place in the area. im not sure the size of the place you live in, but it just doesnt seem possible to me and a bit unfair for them to make you choose between classes and check ups!

would you be able to visit your midwife at the gp's surgery instead of going to the hospital?

 

[Mildly]

For some reason, all my midwife appointments are on Thursdays but this seems to have changed over quite recently as I'm sure at the beginning I've been on different days. Also we aren't allowed to request a certain time of day, you have to have the next allocated appointment which is fine now I'm off work but a bit of a pain when I was working.

I get the feeling that the appointments have changed to Thursdays only because of the summer and because most midwives probably take their annual leave at this time.

That is really stupid about the antenatal classes being on the same day for you though moss

 

[budge]

I have my midwife appointment tomorrow, so hopefully something will be arranged, but how stupid is this?

In Dundee, all scheduled midwife appointments are on a Wednesday ONLY. I tried to have one another day but ended up having to have my 26 week check at 28 weeks because they refuse to meet on any other day. The midwife starts taking appointments at 13.30. The NHS antenatal classes are... 13.30-16.30 ON A WEDNESDAY! At the moment it looks like I will have to choose between antenatal classes and antenatal health checks. WELL DONE, NHS, WELL DONE.

thats not unusual. Most health centres see pregnant ladies on one day of the week.
And you don't HAVE to have your 26 week check on your 26th week exactly.
Its a shame the antenatel classes have clashed though - but it doesn't mean you have to miss all of them.

 

[abcd1234]

My appointments seem to be able to be on any day, though they tend to make mine thursdays, i think this is so theres an exact amount of weeks between seeing me.

And i do get a choice about when to come, they always ask if the days ok and generally i stick to appointments around 2pm cos i can go whenever and i know a lot of people would want early or late appointments due to work.

I also find it wierd that so many of you seem to have to ring up to arrange your appointments, mine are booked at the previous appointment and written down there and then.

 

[daftscotslass]

All my appointments were on a Monday which I think was fairly reasonable - in Forth Valley there are teams of midwives serving a very wide area so it makes sense that the local antenatal clinics are only one day a week because there are so many different local clinics/surgeries to visit, some very far afield (basically from Falkirk to Crianlarich which is a massive area).

It's really daft that they clash, though, all my antenatal classes were on a Monday evening so they didn't clash with appointments.

 

[moss]

My antenatal classes are supposed to be every Wednesday until 30 July, which is two weeks before my due date, meaning I either get far fewer checks in the end than I am supposed to, or I should just not bother with the classes because I will only be able to attend a couple of them. I will be seeing the midwife through my GP as always, but no matter where I go it has to be on a Wednesday. I am also in a big (for Scotland) city which serves a huge area and is the only consultant-led birthing area in a huge region. It's typical of the lack of communication within the NHS, something I am all too familiar with, having been an employee of them for just a little too long now!

 

[Penstraze]

My midwifes only see people on wednesday for midwife appointments and tuesdays for booking in appointments, I change weeks on a friday so either have appointment a little late or early i.e. 25 week appointment was at nearly 26 weeks and 28 week apointment is early so will only be 27+5 which means only 2 weeks between my last appointment and one tomorrow it doesnt seem to mater as long as its somewhere around that time.

Sorry to hear about antenatal classes, I have only be offered one 4 hour one which I thought didn't sound much but Im not too bothered about them!

 

[Miss.Monroe]

all my appointments are on a tuesday (had an appointment today!) thats the only day the MW is in at the Drs surgery

 

[daftscotslass]

My antenatal classes are supposed to be every Wednesday until 30 July, which is two weeks before my due date, meaning I either get far fewer checks in the end than I am supposed to, or I should just not bother with the classes because I will only be able to attend a couple of them. I will be seeing the midwife through my GP as always, but no matter where I go it has to be on a Wednesday. I am also in a big (for Scotland) city which serves a huge area and is the only consultant-led birthing area in a huge region. It's typical of the lack of communication within the NHS, something I am all too familiar with, having been an employee of them for just a little too long now!

I doubt your classes will be much different to mine. They didn't really teach me much I didn't know already or couldn't find out on here. I only had fortnightly midwife appointments right up until the end of my pregnancy so if that's the case for you maybe just try to go to classes in weeks that are between appointments?

 

[Sandi4Paul]

my midwife is only availabke at the surgery on wednesday adn thursday afternoon, i chnage weeks on a sunday, but thems the breaks.

My NHS class was today, one class 14 women + partners for 5 hours, learnt next to nothing and was not really able to meet other mums. the only one i talked to was a woman from my NCT class!

Sandi

 

[moss]

I am about to start fortnightly midwife appointments, and then at some point (36 or 38 weeks?) I have them weekly. I don't expect to learn anything from my antenatal classes, but I want to meet people. I really know no one my age in Dundee, and I hear from so many people that they met their best friends through antenatal. Plus, you might have seen in my other posts that I haven't been feeling "involved" with my pregnancy and that it is often more as if it is happening to me... I was hoping these classes would help.

 

[ANNA27]

my midwife appointments are always on a Thursday afternoon, she is only at surgery then!, on thursday mornings she does home visits,and i have no idea what she does with her time the rest of the week but she is definately not in surgery and i can never get her onher mobile number so maybe I should just throw it away

 

[Strangeness]

In my new docs surgery I can only see my midwife on a wednesday which is always fine by me but my old midwife was in surgery at least 3 days a week which was loads easier when trying to contact her!

 

[CorrieFan]

This happened to me too but when I rang the hospital and told them of the clash they suggested I schedule my 28 week check up at the hospital after the antenatal class, instead of with the midwife at the community clinic.

I've since swapped classes and now have some which finish the day before my due date, so have no idea whether I'll be attending or not!

 

[moss]

I spoke to my midwife and because I had mentioned homebirth, she has made my 34 week appointment on a Friday at my house (at 36 weeks, by the way), so that solves one of the days. She said we'll talk about the other days when she is at mine... I hope she has a solution because I don't want to get into the classes then not be able to go to them!